Thursday, May 26, 2011

Memorial Day

Jason Isbell  (a former member of Drive-By Truckers) wrote a song named Dress Blues back in 2007.

Every time I hear this song I mourn for all of the American soldier's who never make it home. Having had a spouse deployed and being part of a close nit unit of those left behind I remember nights spent pacing the floor and praying that the base bombed/helo shot down wasn't one of yours.

Dress Blues / Jason Isbellplay
My best friend is currently deployed on his third tour of duty somewhere in the sky's of Pakistan.

I've seen how war has changed him. Most of those changes haven't been good. There's not much I can do or say for him except be there and send care packages. When a call comes in from him, no matter what I am doing I drop everything. Knowing he is safe and making him laugh are my priorities.

Now, my family is preparing to say good-by to my little sister as she is leaving for her first deployment. Little Bit (one of the nicer childhood nicknames I gave her) is leaving behind her husband and 17 month old daughter. She will be facing danger and challenges that I can't begin to imagine while I am here safe and sound helping raise her daughter till her return. I feel so much guilt and fear- guilt that I should be protecting my sister, and that we didn't get along well at ALL growing up and fear-well yeah, the same fear that every  family of a service member out there carries every moment.



Dress Blues by Jason Isbell

What can you see from your window?
I can't see anythin' from mine
Flags on the side of the highway
And scripture on grocery store signs

Maybe eighteen was too early
Maybe thirty or forty is too
Did you get your chance to make peace with the man
Before He sent down his angels for you?

Mamas and grand mamas love you
'Cause that's all they know how to do
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
Or sleepin' in your dress blues

Your wife said this all would be funny
When you got back home in a week
Turn twenty two and we'd celebrate you
In a bar or a tent by the creek

Your baby would just about be here
And your very last tour would be up
But you won't be back, they're all dressin' in black
Drinkin' sweet tea in Styrofoam cups

Mamas and grand mamas love you
American boys hate to lose
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
Or sleepin' in your dress blues

The high school gymnasium's ready
Full of flowers and old Legionnaires
Nobody showed up to protest
Just sniffle and stare

There's red, white and blue in the rafters
And there's silent old men from the Corps
What did they say when they shipped you away
To fight somebody's Hollywood war?

Nobody here could forget you
You showed us what we had to lose
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
Or sleepin' in your dress blues
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
Or sleepin' in your dress blues

Monday, May 23, 2011

My favorite place in state

The harbour in early spring



Kodiak is my favorite place in all of Alaska  It's a small island off the coast of Alaska, home to about 6,000 residents (which includes the Coasties). I fly over to visit at least once a year- generally in the summer months or to help kick off  memorial weekend and the Kodiak Crab Festival.

Which includes a county fair- lot's of carnival rides that are even more fun in the rain, food and game booths, and group activities. The City council also hosts a  kayak race, a marathon, an ultra-marathon, a 9.2-mile (14.8 km) mountain run called the Pillar Mountain Run. I get a kick out of attending the rodeo and entering the rubber ducky water race. Oh and the crab....


I'm lucky that I spent allot of time out on the island while growing up. We ran around like wild things despite all of the local wildlife. Beach combing for sea glass out at White Sands, Fossil hunting out in Pasagshak, kayaking, horseback riding and of course...fishing!
The Aunty and I getting our fish on.





Originally inhabited by Alutiiq  (Aleut's) natives for over 7000 years, the city was settled in the 18th century by Russian immigrants and became the capital of Russian Alaska. There's a new exhibit at the Alutiiq museum that I've been itching to see and more pictographs were found last summer. I'm glad I minored in history!



Saturday, May 21, 2011

Random Pics

Tequila night!

My favorite workplace memo

My dog is an evil genius

Robbie loves his father muuuch more than he loves me, despite the fact that I saved him for getting the needle. So when husband drove off with the boat Friday night Robbie went into straight mourning mode. He lays by the front door and forgo's all his usual fun activities until his father returns.

Well, evil dog genius decided to go chasing after the boat as it was being hauled away. See, we haven't finished our fencing in the back yard. Where the gate will be there is just staked down chicken wire. Robbie pulled all four tent stakes out of the ground, wiggled under the wire and hauled ass.


I found him about an hour later two neighborhoods away.

Now I can't let him outside on his own...and he suddenly wants to spend all day outside.

But moooooooom... I'm a GOOD dog!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Deb Caletti

So I recently finished Deb Caletti's Honey, Baby, Sweetheart. There was a discussion between several characters about why girls/women get caught up in bad boys/men.


 "It's that easy, isn't it?" Miz June said. "I look at my grandchildren and I still see it. The boys are expected to do. Accomplish something. Seek adventure. Sure, they study for careers now, but what are girls still expected to seek? Boys. Boys get mountains, girls get boys."


 Ack! This is still so true. I wasn't encouraged to climb mountains, or broaden  my horizons. There wasn't much expected of me by my parents. They were VERY happy I graduated high school and surprised when I graduated college. Not that they ever expected me to pop out a litter of kids and move out to the valley in a doublewide. But maybe.....I know they were thrilled when I married my ex-husband and somewhat disappointed when I got divorced. I feel like they see me as a "whole person" now that I've re-married.

I think when I have children, despite their gender we will plan adventures together. Having dated my share of bad boys/men I hope I can guide my future spawn to make better choices or at least give them enough confidence in themselves and their abilities that they don't need someone else to make them feel worthy.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday Music

So I don't know much about music and don't really follow "stars" but I'm finding with these playlist's I'm starting to research who I listen to. Maybe someday I won't be a pop culture fail.



"M" by Duffy
"Break Me Out" by The Rescues - they sing and play. Fancy that! Their songs end up on tv shows.
"Give You Hell" by All American Rejects - I love this song! Because I KNOW when my ex hears it he's thinking of me...but ya know? I've got that white picket fence and a man who treats me well...I'm the lucky one in this equation.
"I Come From The Water" by The Toadies - 1992 baby! Yea! Boy was I a cool 12 year old.
"Loser" By Beck - 1993 - Beck a high school dropout who made it big. He's also a  Scientology, has a daughter named Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

In which I make a workplace enemy/ Drama Drama

Ok so I work for Juvenile Probation. My office is located in a secure building that houses juvenile defendants.

So effectively I work in a youth correction facility.

Kiddie Jail.



Something one of my co-workers just can't seem to wrap her brain around. She's a nice lady, has been employed with us these last six months, very friendly, seems to fit in with one exception.

She can't seem to stay in contact with her facility keys. She leaves them EVERYWHERE.

According to P&P those keys should NEVER be off your person or removed from the facility. 'Cause you know- should they fall into the wrong hands...or get lost. It would cost our Department around 10 grand to re-key the facility. Not to mention the safety risk. While we house juveniles that doesn't mean they are safe. We've had murders, armed robbers and just about everything else you would expect to come across in the adult population. Wait...did I mention rapist's? We've got lots of those.

Myself and the three other women who trained her have warned her multiple times and it came to a head about three weeks ago I handed her key's off to my then supervisor(she retired) and explained to her the issue.

Well ditz for brains did it again(probably multiple times- I just happened to catch it today) We have more traffic thought our office that the rest of the facility because we handle intake appointments and monitor those minors that are on probation. We have a cleaning crew that comes through our offices- and that crew is composed of our *ta-da* you guessed it- youthful friends.

So she walked off on break and left her keys sitting out at the front desk.

*bangs head against wall*

So I took them to my new supervisor...and popped off at the mouth a bit. Needles to say...he's new. He had no idea what the frack was going on.


Bad on me. Explained situation, explained why I was so frustrated.
*sigh*

And now she is giving me looks of death and won't speak to me.

It's not like she's got a fucking leg to stand on...and if this goes up the chain...
Mm'kay this would be BAD
But I did not handle this well...at all.

Impressing new supervisor = 0
Pissing off co-worker (cause I'm tired of covering her ass) = 200 Billion
Impressing new supervisor = -5

Friday, May 6, 2011

Friday Music

Today's playlist

"Goodbye" by The Waifs - http://www.thewaifs.com/

"Stand Out" by Tevin Campbell off the soundtrack from A Goofy Movie - what?! It rocks! Just because he was arrested after soliciting a lewd act from an undercover police officer during a sting operation in California and caught carrying a little dope doesn't mean... I mean c'mon WHO hasn't been busted for say'in "hi" to the ladies..
(this writer in no way/shape/form endorses prostitution and is in fact a member of GEMS http://www.gems-girls.org/about)

"I'm Ready" by Fats Domino



"I Break Hearts" by Leeroy Stagger - He's CANADIAN! (psst...I love Canadians) He also comes to Alaska pretty often to play. You should see him in flannel.

"King of Spain" by Moxy Früvous- Yes they ARE Canadians! Ok I need to learn how to embed music video's. Fun filled facts about MF- their music has played in space. No joke, August 14, 1997, their song "You Will Go to the Moon" was used by NASA to wake the crew of STS-85. The had the second Canadian independent #1 hit in the country's history...which is impressive for a small indy band that started out street busking. Did I mention they sung a cappella? And they have a whole song mocking Rush Limbaugh?

It's going to be a good Friday. :)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Life List- Being a Big with BBBS

Bigs & Littles at Eklutna Lake


I've been actively volunteering since I was thirteen years old for a variety of reasons but it wasn't until 2003 that I got turned on to Big Brothers, Big Sisters. I'd always felt that it only took one person at the right time to help shape a life but I wasn't sure I could be that person. In 2008 after a cross-country move, a messy divorce and a life rebuild I decided to call the local office to see if they needed a warm body.

 They did and I was matched with a terrific little girl who had a horrible home life. (LK = Little K) There was State involvement with the family going back two generations. Several children with different fathers living in a broken down unheated trailer, kids had spent time in foster care, and dealt with their parents various addictions. LK was only seven when I met her and what a firecracker of a kid. She was cheerful, optimistic and you couldn't help but love her. We were matched for just over a year when her mother went off the rails and the kids were placed out of State with the youngest's biological father.

I was devastated. I withdrew my name from the program.

Then I got a call. There was a little boy who really wanted a big sister.

We've been together ever since. DZ is made of cool. He can bust a move, quote music lyrics, drags me to see god-awful chipmunk movies and bakes a mean batch of cookies, plus he's king of the rink-skates circles around me.

 So yea. BBBS is a great program and it has definitely impacted my life.

 You should check it out :)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mail!

Guess what came in the mail?
My very own life size figurine!

Actually our survival suits arrived.  Hard to be a gansta when you look like a nekkid oompa loompa, but they should keep us toasty should we ever need to take unexpected dip. I'm really looking forward to testing these out this month. According to the NODC ( http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/alaska.html) the water temperature should be around 43 degrees F. We just need to make sure we anchor up in a remote cove so the Coastie's don't come a'callin.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Spring Envy

I have to admit that I am ever so envious of those of you who live in the lower 48 and get a chance to experience spring.

May 2, 2011-Anchorage Alaska

This is what our spring looks like. The rivers and lakes are still covered in ice and the temp is still 50' or below. The green has yet to arrive- forget flowering trees. The only green I see is from the Sitka Spruce in my backyard.

Funny pic of the day- Mad crazy beaver infestation at my local dog park.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Best Picture and shame on Fairbanks Police Department

 
 
 
 
 
Mikey Poland, 18, talks on his cell phone while riding a small ice floe down the Chena River on Friday evening, April 29, 2011, as Fairbanks Fire Department emergency personnel mount a water rescue from the river's south bank behind the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. John Wagner/News-Miner


Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Fairbanks teen doesn t believe he was in danger on Chena River ice floe